I was cornered.
There was nowhere left to run.
The beast in front of me was massive and taller than any man, its body rippling with muscle. Two long horns jutted from its bull-like head. Its fur was stained with dried blood, and its glowing red eyes were locked onto me. In its huge hands, it gripped a hammer the size of my entire body, ready to squash me without hesitation.
I froze, I couldn't scream and just trembled.
I braced myself for the pain that was about to come.
And as I stared death in the face, everything I'd buried came crashing into my mind. my miserable life, my regrets, my broken dreams, and how I hated myself. Hated that I had never been true to who I really was.
Why?
If I'd known death would come so soon, I would've lived differently. I would've let myself be me. I would've made friends. Taken better care of myself. Worn the clothes I thought wouldn't suit me. Played video games. Laughed more. Lived more.
And most of all, I wish I had slapped that bastard's smug face when he made fun of me earlier!
But it was too late now.
This was it.
I was going to die, pathetic, forgotten, and alone.
I looked into the beast's eyes and saw my own reflection staring back.
It raised its hammer into the air.
And then--
Swish!
A splash of blood hit my face.
The hammer never came down.
Instead, the minotaur's body split in two. Its corpse hit the ground with a sickening thud, and the weapon crashed beside it.
In the shower of blood stood someone.
A man.
My glasses were cracked but I saw him clearly.
He was dressed in black, tall and silent, with a massive scythe in his hands. His eyes glowed a deep violet, shimmering like high-grade amethyst. Beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
Without a word, he moved forward.
With each graceful swing of his scythe, he tore through the other monsters around us. It should have been terrifying. It was brutal and violent, but I couldn't look away. Every movement was like a dance, elegant and deadly.
It was beautiful. Like watching a painting come to life in blood and shadow.
When the last monster fell, silence blanketed the street.
What had been a quiet, empty road was now littered with monster corpses.
And then... he walked towards me.
I was still on the ground, trembling. My face was streaked with blood, my clothes were dirty, and my hair a complete mess.
He came closer.
He was tall, and... intimidating.
Thick eyebrows, a cold expression. He looked like the kind of person who could snap someone in half without blinking.
He stared at me.
Then, without saying a word, he extended his hand.
And when I looked into his eyes, I saw something unexpected. His gaze wasn't cold. It was gentle, soft, and looked genuinely concerned.
So different from all the eyes that had looked down on me my whole life.
I reached out and took his hand.
The moment our skin touched, something inside me shifted.
Like a switch had been flipped.
My heart pounded, not from fear, but from something warm.
He helped me to my feet, still silent and looked like he was struggling to say something.
But somehow, I understood him.
I didn't hear it, but I felt it.
"I'm alright… and thank you. Thank you so much for saving me."
I didn't know how I could understand him without words.
Maybe… he was like me.
Unable to express things properly. A person struggling to be understood.
After hearing my words, he blinked in surprise.
So I smiled at him.
And that made him even more surprised.
"I have to go,"
he said, turning away.
He walked a few steps before I shouted,
"Wait!"
He stopped and glanced back.
"Can I… can I ask your name?"
He looked at me.
"It's Ezekiel..."
Then the wind blew, and just like that, he was gone.
I'll never forget that day.
The day I almost died.
The day I was given a second chance at life.
And the day I met him.
My savior.